Folding brace



July 17, 1928.

E. W. CUMMINGS FOLDING BRA'GE F iled Aug. 25, 1926 vINVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 11, 1928."

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

EARLE W. CUMMINGS, OF SANTA BARBARA,-CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR' OF ONE-HALF TO SANTA BARBARA LUMBER COMPANY, OF SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA, A COB- .PORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

FOLDING BRACE.

Application-filed August 23, 1926. Serial m. 180,894.

This invention relates to folding braces as used with foldingservice boards such as wall tables, folding or hinged ironing boards, wall benches and the like and has for its object a brace of the strut type-which tho of light construction is more rigid than others, gives a better support to the outermost of the service board section when the same 1s outfolded to horizontal extension, is firmly l0 locked against displacement when in use, and which is easily operated. Other objects will appear in the following, description.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the under-side of a folding wall table with my brace in position and with the outermost section of the folding table folded back on top of the inner section or the section pivoted at one end to the wall or cabinet set therein or attached thereto.

Figure- 2 is a reduced size side View with board extended and shows the brace in diagrammatic form to illustrate more clearly the pivotal relationiof its parts.

Figure 3shows the elements of Figure 2 in folded position within the cabinet or wall.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the bracing arm for the outermost section of the board.

Figure 5 is an enlarged view in perspective showing the stop joint of the folding struts, and Figure 6 is a plan View taken in direction of the arrow in Figure 1 show ing the similar joint of the toggle links which brace the struts, and it illustrates the ofl'set relation of the link sections and pivot passing through the flanges thereof.

In further detail the drawings show a folding service board (in this particular instance a table) having an inner section 1 pivoted at one end'as at 2 to the wall or cabinet 8 forming a recess 4 in the wall, and at the other end at 5 to an outer section 1' adapted to fold over the inner section as indicated in Figure 1.

To the under-side of the inner section 1 is pivoted at 6 the upper ends of a pair of folding struts comprising the sections 7 and 7 pivoted to one another at 8 and to the wall or lower end of the cabinet at 9.

Secured to and spacing the upper sections 7 of the struts is a transversely extending bar 10 to which is pivoted at 10. the lower end of section 11 of toggle links comprising thesections 11 and 11,,pivoted together at.12 and the upper end of section 11 being pivotedat 13 to the under-side of the board. at a point adjacent the wall so at an angle; to brace thestrutsu The sections of the struts and toggle links are preferably made of channel iron with ends notched and fitted one within-the other in offset relation'as indicated in Figures 5,

and 6 with the pivot pins 8 and 12 passing through the legs or side flanges of the metal, while the ends of the web are extended into fingers asat X so as to overlie the web of of inner board section 1 and'projecting beyond the bracket to form a support at 14' .for the outer board section 1, the supporting end of the arm being arranged to come against a metal plate forming part of a handle 16 secured to the outer board for lifting the folded boards from the cabinet space.

This auxiliary arm 14 is also preferably of channel iron construction, split at the lower end where it engages the pin 12 and formed at XX in such a manner that it will seat in the bracket 15 against rearward withdrawal and thus lock the toggle links slightly beyond their dead center. 7

To release the toggles and collapse the parts it is first necessary to fold the board section 1 over the section 1, and to then lift and push inwardly on the end 14 of the arm, and which will collapse the toggle links and struts so that the folded boards may swing downwardly against the wall or into the cabinet recess to the position indicated in handle 16 from folded position in the cabinet that the toggle links will extend, therefrom all the bracing elements are automatically thrown into locked bracing position as shown in Figure 1.

When designing the parts for upmost compactness the underside of board section 1 may be notched as at 17 and 17 for clearance of parts of arm 14. V v

l Vhile there'has been considerable detail in the above description, it is all such construction which aids in making my brace a very satisfactory one in use, and I therefore include such detailed structure in my appended claims.

I claim:

1. In afolding article of the character described, a folding strut brace comprising two channel sections arranged in endwise mortised relation and transversely pivoted through the legs of the channels, the extreme ends of the webs of both sections overlying the webs of the opposed section when the sections are unfolded to bracing position.

2. In a folding article of the character described, a folding strut brace comprising two channel sections arranged in endwise mortised relation and laterally ofiset whereby the legs of one'channel section lie to the same sides of the respective legs of the other channel section, the legs of the two sections transversely pivoted together, and the endof the web of .one section being offset to lie upon the web of the other section when the sections are unfolded to bracing'position.

3. A folding service board of inner and outer sections hinged together and provided with a folding strut brace pivoted to the under-side of the inner board, an auxiliary brace pivotally extending from said strut to the under-side of the inner board, and an arm pivoted to said auxiliary brace extending forwardly beyond the inner board for supporting the outer section thereof, a depending bracket on the forward portion of the inner board slidab'ly sustaining said arm, and means on said arm engaging the bracket against sliding when the outer sectionof the board is supported on said arm, and whereby the bracing system is locked and releasable only upon lifting the outer board.

EARLE WV. CUMMINGS. 

